A growing packaging firm has invested £5 million in a move to Bradford from Leeds as it celebrates 100 years.

Storey Evans was founded in Park Lane, Leeds, in 1898. It moved to Rawdon in 1911, where it grew under the guidance of chairman Mark Evans.

The firm has now moved into the Robin Mills building in Idle, which it acquired after it was put on the market in November, 1996.

The company has completely refurbished the mill and moved its 200 workers into the 170,000 sq ft production area.

The move was made because the firm's new management team expected the company to outgrow Rawdon by 2002.

The new building allows the company, which specialises in packaging for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, to do everything on one site. It includes a 170,000 sq ft production area.

The company can now store its raw materials, warehouse its goods and design packaging products - which are printed and finished at Robin Mills.

The building is also home to the firm's admin and sales teams.

A total of £1.5 million was spent on new plant and machinery, including printing, cutting and creasing equipment and a waste extraction system.

The company now has one of the largest packaging production facilities in the country. Household names on its client list include Johnson & Johnson, SmithKline Beecham, Novartis and Pfizer.

Joint managing director Bruno Chorzelewski said today: "We do not wait for our clients to set the standards, we take the initiative to continually improve our service and, where possible, to exceed their expectations."

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